# Use `DescribeImages` with an AWS SDK or CLI
The following code examples show how to use `DescribeImages`.
Action examples are code excerpts from larger programs and must be run in context. You can see this action in context in the following code examples:
+ [Learn the basics](example_ec2_Scenario_GetStartedInstances_section.md)
+ [Create a basic VPC](example_vpc_GettingStartedCLI_section.md)
+ [Creating and managing Amazon EBS volumes](example_ec2_GettingStarted_020_section.md)
+ [Get started with Marketplace Buyer](example_ec2_GettingStarted_030_section.md)
+ [Getting started with Amazon EC2](example_ec2_GettingStarted_013_section.md)
+ [Getting started with Amazon MSK](example_ec2_GettingStarted_057_section.md)
+ [Run CPU stress tests on EC2 instances using FIS](example_iam_GettingStarted_069_section.md)
+ [VPC with private servers](example_vpc_GettingStartedPrivate_section.md)
------
#### [ Bash ]
**AWS CLI with Bash script**
There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the [AWS Code Examples Repository](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples/tree/main/aws-cli/bash-linux/ec2#code-examples).
```
###############################################################################
# function ec2_describe_images
#
# This function describes one or more Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) images.
#
# Parameters:
# -i image_ids - A space-separated list of image IDs (optional).
# -h - Display help.
#
# And:
# 0 - If successful.
# 1 - If it fails.
###############################################################################
function ec2_describe_images() {
local image_ids response
local option OPTARG # Required to use getopts command in a function.
# bashsupport disable=BP5008
function usage() {
echo "function ec2_describe_images"
echo "Describes one or more Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) images."
echo " -i image_ids - A space-separated list of image IDs (optional)."
echo " -h - Display help."
echo ""
}
# Retrieve the calling parameters.
while getopts "i:h" option; do
case "${option}" in
i) image_ids="${OPTARG}" ;;
h)
usage
return 0
;;
\?)
echo "Invalid parameter"
usage
return 1
;;
esac
done
export OPTIND=1
local aws_cli_args=()
if [[ -n "$image_ids" ]]; then
# shellcheck disable=SC2206
aws_cli_args+=("--image-ids" $image_ids)
fi
response=$(aws ec2 describe-images \
"${aws_cli_args[@]}" \
--query 'Images[*].[Description,Architecture,ImageId]' \
--output text) || {
aws_cli_error_log ${?}
errecho "ERROR: AWS reports describe-images operation failed.$response"
return 1
}
echo "$response"
return 0
}
```
The utility functions used in this example.
```
###############################################################################
# function errecho
#
# This function outputs everything sent to it to STDERR (standard error output).
###############################################################################
function errecho() {
printf "%s\n" "$*" 1>&2
}
##############################################################################
# function aws_cli_error_log()
#
# This function is used to log the error messages from the AWS CLI.
#
# The function expects the following argument:
# $1 - The error code returned by the AWS CLI.
#
# Returns:
# 0: - Success.
#
##############################################################################
function aws_cli_error_log() {
local err_code=$1
errecho "Error code : $err_code"
if [ "$err_code" == 1 ]; then
errecho " One or more S3 transfers failed."
elif [ "$err_code" == 2 ]; then
errecho " Command line failed to parse."
elif [ "$err_code" == 130 ]; then
errecho " Process received SIGINT."
elif [ "$err_code" == 252 ]; then
errecho " Command syntax invalid."
elif [ "$err_code" == 253 ]; then
errecho " The system environment or configuration was invalid."
elif [ "$err_code" == 254 ]; then
errecho " The service returned an error."
elif [ "$err_code" == 255 ]; then
errecho " 255 is a catch-all error."
fi
return 0
}
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/goto/aws-cli/ec2-2016-11-15/DescribeImages) in *AWS CLI Command Reference*.
------
#### [ CLI ]
**AWS CLI**
**Example 1: To describe an AMI**
The following `describe-images` example describes the specified AMI in the specified Region.
```
aws ec2 describe-images \
--region us-east-1 \
--image-ids ami-1234567890EXAMPLE
```
Output:
```
{
"Images": [
{
"VirtualizationType": "hvm",
"Description": "Provided by Red Hat, Inc.",
"PlatformDetails": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux",
"EnaSupport": true,
"Hypervisor": "xen",
"State": "available",
"SriovNetSupport": "simple",
"ImageId": "ami-1234567890EXAMPLE",
"UsageOperation": "RunInstances:0010",
"BlockDeviceMappings": [
{
"DeviceName": "/dev/sda1",
"Ebs": {
"SnapshotId": "snap-111222333444aaabb",
"DeleteOnTermination": true,
"VolumeType": "gp2",
"VolumeSize": 10,
"Encrypted": false
}
}
],
"Architecture": "x86_64",
"ImageLocation": "123456789012/RHEL-8.0.0_HVM-20190618-x86_64-1-Hourly2-GP2",
"RootDeviceType": "ebs",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"RootDeviceName": "/dev/sda1",
"CreationDate": "2019-05-10T13:17:12.000Z",
"Public": true,
"ImageType": "machine",
"Name": "RHEL-8.0.0_HVM-20190618-x86_64-1-Hourly2-GP2"
}
]
}
```
For more information, see [Amazon Machine Images (AMI)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AMIs.html) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.
**Example 2: To describe AMIs based on filters**
The following `describe-images` example describes Windows AMIs provided by Amazon that are backed by Amazon EBS.
```
aws ec2 describe-images \
--owners amazon \
--filters "Name=platform,Values=windows" "Name=root-device-type,Values=ebs"
```
For an example of the output for `describe-images`, see Example 1.
For additional examples using filters, see [Listing and filtering your resources](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/Using_Filtering.html#Filtering_Resources_CLI) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.
**Example 3: To describe AMIs based on tags**
The following `describe-images` example describes all AMIs that have the tag `Type=Custom`. The example uses the `--query` parameter to display only the AMI IDs.
```
aws ec2 describe-images \
--filters "Name=tag:Type,Values=Custom" \
--query 'Images[*].[ImageId]' \
--output text
```
Output:
```
ami-1234567890EXAMPLE
ami-0abcdef1234567890
```
For additional examples using tag filters, see [Working with tags](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/Using_Tags.html#Using_Tags_CLI) in the *Amazon EC2 User Guide*.
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://awscli.amazonaws.com/v2/documentation/api/latest/reference/ec2/describe-images.html) in *AWS CLI Command Reference*.
------
#### [ JavaScript ]
**SDK for JavaScript (v3)**
There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the [AWS Code Examples Repository](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples/tree/main/javascriptv3/example_code/ec2#code-examples).
```
import { EC2Client, paginateDescribeImages } from "@aws-sdk/client-ec2";
/**
* Describes the specified images (AMIs, AKIs, and ARIs) available to you or all of the images available to you.
* @param {{ architecture: string, pageSize: number }} options
*/
export const main = async ({ architecture, pageSize }) => {
pageSize = Number.parseInt(pageSize);
const client = new EC2Client({});
// The paginate function is a wrapper around the base command.
const paginator = paginateDescribeImages(
// Without limiting the page size, this call can take a long time. pageSize is just sugar for
// the MaxResults property in the base command.
{ client, pageSize },
{
// There are almost 70,000 images available. Be specific with your filtering
// to increase efficiency.
// See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/v3/latest/clients/client-ec2/interfaces/describeimagescommandinput.html#filters
Filters: [{ Name: "architecture", Values: [architecture] }],
},
);
/**
* @type {import('@aws-sdk/client-ec2').Image[]}
*/
const images = [];
let recordsScanned = 0;
try {
for await (const page of paginator) {
recordsScanned += pageSize;
if (page.Images.length) {
images.push(...page.Images);
break;
}
console.log(
`No matching image found yet. Searched ${recordsScanned} records.`,
);
}
if (images.length) {
console.log(
`Found ${images.length} images:\n\n${images.map((image) => image.Name).join("\n")}\n`,
);
} else {
console.log(
`No matching images found. Searched ${recordsScanned} records.\n`,
);
}
return images;
} catch (caught) {
if (caught instanceof Error && caught.name === "InvalidParameterValue") {
console.warn(`${caught.message}`);
return [];
}
throw caught;
}
};
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/v3/latest/client/ec2/command/DescribeImagesCommand) in *AWS SDK for JavaScript API Reference*.
------
#### [ PowerShell ]
**Tools for PowerShell V4**
**Example 1: This example describes the specified AMI.**
```
Get-EC2Image -ImageId ami-12345678
```
**Output:**
```
Architecture : x86_64
BlockDeviceMappings : {/dev/xvda}
CreationDate : 2014-10-20T00:56:28.000Z
Description : My image
Hypervisor : xen
ImageId : ami-12345678
ImageLocation : 123456789012/my-image
ImageOwnerAlias :
ImageType : machine
KernelId :
Name : my-image
OwnerId : 123456789012
Platform :
ProductCodes : {}
Public : False
RamdiskId :
RootDeviceName : /dev/xvda
RootDeviceType : ebs
SriovNetSupport : simple
State : available
StateReason :
Tags : {Name}
VirtualizationType : hvm
```
**Example 2: This example describes the AMIs that you own.**
```
Get-EC2Image -owner self
```
**Example 3: This example describes the public AMIs that run Microsoft Windows Server.**
```
Get-EC2Image -Filter @{ Name="platform"; Values="windows" }
```
**Example 4: This example describes all public AMIs in the 'us-west-2' region.**
```
Get-EC2Image -Region us-west-2
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/v4/reference) in *AWS Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4)*.
**Tools for PowerShell V5**
**Example 1: This example describes the specified AMI.**
```
Get-EC2Image -ImageId ami-12345678
```
**Output:**
```
Architecture : x86_64
BlockDeviceMappings : {/dev/xvda}
CreationDate : 2014-10-20T00:56:28.000Z
Description : My image
Hypervisor : xen
ImageId : ami-12345678
ImageLocation : 123456789012/my-image
ImageOwnerAlias :
ImageType : machine
KernelId :
Name : my-image
OwnerId : 123456789012
Platform :
ProductCodes : {}
Public : False
RamdiskId :
RootDeviceName : /dev/xvda
RootDeviceType : ebs
SriovNetSupport : simple
State : available
StateReason :
Tags : {Name}
VirtualizationType : hvm
```
**Example 2: This example describes the AMIs that you own.**
```
Get-EC2Image -owner self
```
**Example 3: This example describes the public AMIs that run Microsoft Windows Server.**
```
Get-EC2Image -Filter @{ Name="platform"; Values="windows" }
```
**Example 4: This example describes all public AMIs in the 'us-west-2' region.**
```
Get-EC2Image -Region us-west-2
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/v5/reference) in *AWS Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5)*.
------
#### [ Python ]
**SDK for Python (Boto3)**
There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the [AWS Code Examples Repository](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples/tree/main/python/example_code/ec2#code-examples).
```
class EC2InstanceWrapper:
"""Encapsulates Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instance actions using the client interface."""
def __init__(
self, ec2_client: Any, instances: Optional[List[Dict[str, Any]]] = None
) -> None:
"""
Initializes the EC2InstanceWrapper with an EC2 client and optional instances.
:param ec2_client: A Boto3 Amazon EC2 client. This client provides low-level
access to AWS EC2 services.
:param instances: A list of dictionaries representing Boto3 Instance objects. These are high-level objects that
wrap instance actions.
"""
self.ec2_client = ec2_client
self.instances = instances or []
@classmethod
def from_client(cls) -> "EC2InstanceWrapper":
"""
Creates an EC2InstanceWrapper instance with a default EC2 client.
:return: An instance of EC2InstanceWrapper initialized with the default EC2 client.
"""
ec2_client = boto3.client("ec2")
return cls(ec2_client)
def get_images(self, image_ids: List[str]) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
"""
Gets information about Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) from a list of AMI IDs.
:param image_ids: The list of AMI IDs to look up.
:return: A list of dictionaries representing the requested AMIs.
"""
try:
response = self.ec2_client.describe_images(ImageIds=image_ids)
images = response["Images"]
except ClientError as err:
logger.error(f"Failed to stop AMI(s): {','.join(map(str, image_ids))}")
error_code = err.response["Error"]["Code"]
if error_code == "InvalidAMIID.NotFound":
logger.error("One or more of the AMI IDs does not exist.")
raise
return images
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/goto/boto3/ec2-2016-11-15/DescribeImages) in *AWS SDK for Python (Boto3) API Reference*.
------
#### [ Rust ]
**SDK for Rust**
There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the [AWS Code Examples Repository](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples/tree/main/rustv1/examples/ec2#code-examples).
```
pub async fn list_images(&self, ids: Vec) -> Result, EC2Error> {
let image_ids = ids.into_iter().filter_map(|p| p.value).collect();
let output = self
.client
.describe_images()
.set_image_ids(Some(image_ids))
.send()
.await?;
let images = output.images.unwrap_or_default();
if images.is_empty() {
Err(EC2Error::new("No images for selected AMIs"))
} else {
Ok(images)
}
}
```
Using the list\$1images function with SSM to limit based on your environment. For more details on SSM, see https://docs.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/latest/userguide/example\$1ssm\$1GetParameters\$1section.html.
```
async fn find_image(&mut self) -> Result {
let params: Vec = self
.ssm
.list_path("/aws/service/ami-amazon-linux-latest")
.await
.map_err(|e| e.add_message("Could not find parameters for available images"))?
.into_iter()
.filter(|param| param.name().is_some_and(|name| name.contains("amzn2")))
.collect();
let amzn2_images: Vec = self
.ec2
.list_images(params)
.await
.map_err(|e| e.add_message("Could not find images"))?
.into_iter()
.map(ScenarioImage::from)
.collect();
println!("We will now create an instance from an Amazon Linux 2 AMI");
let ami = self.util.select_scenario_image(amzn2_images)?;
Ok(ami)
}
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.rs/aws-sdk-ec2/latest/aws_sdk_ec2/client/struct.Client.html#method.describe_images) in *AWS SDK for Rust API reference*.
------
#### [ SAP ABAP ]
**SDK for SAP ABAP**
There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the [AWS Code Examples Repository](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples/tree/main/sap-abap/services/ec2#code-examples).
```
TRY.
oo_result = lo_ec2->describeimages( it_imageids = it_image_ids ). " oo_result is returned for testing purposes. "
DATA(lt_images) = oo_result->get_images( ).
MESSAGE 'Retrieved information about Amazon Machine Images (AMIs).' TYPE 'I'.
CATCH /aws1/cx_rt_service_generic INTO DATA(lo_exception).
DATA(lv_error) = |"{ lo_exception->av_err_code }" - { lo_exception->av_err_msg }|.
MESSAGE lv_error TYPE 'E'.
ENDTRY.
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-sap-abap/v1/api/latest/index.html) in *AWS SDK for SAP ABAP API reference*.
------
#### [ Swift ]
**SDK for Swift**
There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the [AWS Code Examples Repository](https://github.com/awsdocs/aws-doc-sdk-examples/tree/main/swift/example_code/ec2#code-examples).
```
import AWSEC2
/// Return an array of `EC2ClientTypes.Image` objects describing all of
/// the images in the specified array.
///
/// - Parameter idList: A list of image ID strings indicating the images
/// to return details about.
///
/// - Returns: An array of the images.
func describeImages(_ idList: [String]) async -> [EC2ClientTypes.Image] {
do {
let output = try await ec2Client.describeImages(
input: DescribeImagesInput(
imageIds: idList
)
)
guard let images = output.images else {
print("*** No images found.")
return []
}
for image in images {
guard let id = image.imageId else {
continue
}
print(" \(id): \(image.description ?? "")")
}
return images
} catch {
print("*** Error getting image descriptions: \(error.localizedDescription)")
return []
}
}
```
+ For API details, see [DescribeImages](https://sdk.amazonaws.com/swift/api/awsec2/latest/documentation/awsec2/ec2client/describeimages(input:)) in *AWS SDK for Swift API reference*.
------
For a complete list of AWS SDK developer guides and code examples, see [Create Amazon EC2 resources using an AWS SDK](sdk-general-information-section.md). This topic also includes information about getting started and details about previous SDK versions.